Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) COSEWIC assessment and status reportchapter 13

Technical Summary

Buteo lineatus

Red-shouldered Hawk

Buse à épaulettes

Range of Occurrence in Canada: southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick

Extent and Area Information

Extent of occurrence (EO) (km2)
[calculated from range map (Figure 1) using ArcView]
200 000 km2
Specify trend in EO Stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in EO? No
Area of occupancy (AO) (km2)
[maximum based on approximately 40% of EO being forested and therefore suitable breeding habitat (Figure 1)]
80 000 km2
Specify trend in AO Stable to increasing
Are there extreme fluctuations in AO? No
Number of known or inferred current locations Not applicable
Specify trend in # Not applicable
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of locations? Not applicable
Specify trend in area, extent or quality of habitat Stable generally, but may be declining in some areas.


Population Information

Generation time (average age of parents in the population) unknown, > 2 years
Number of mature individuals 12 540 (6 270 pairs)
Total population trend  
% decline over the last/next 10 years or 3 generations. Stable to increasing
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of mature individuals? No
Is the total population severely fragmented? No
Specify trend in number of populations Not applicable
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of populations? No
List populations with number of mature individuals in each: Not applicable


Threats (actual or imminent threats to populations or habitats)

Known threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, increased interspecific competition caused by habitat alteration and human disturbance. Threats vary with region.


Rescue Effect (immigration from an outside source)

Status of outside population(s)? USA: The Red-shouldered Hawk population is generally stable or increasing throughout most of its range in the United States, although it is listed as a species of concern in several states.
Is immigration known or possible? Not confirmed, but likely
Would immigrants be adapted to survive in Canada? Yes
Is there sufficient habitat for immigrants in Canada? Habitat in south western Ontario may be limited
Is rescue from outside populations likely? Yes


Quantitative Analysis

None
 


Current Status

COSEWIC: Special Concern (1996); Not at risk (2006)


Status and Reasons for Designation

Status:
Not at Risk
Status Criteria:
Not applicable
Reasons for Designation:
In Canada, this forest-nesting species has been stable or increasing, depending on the region, over the last 10 to 20 years. The main threat to the species is habitat loss and degradation, which is likely to be most serious in the southern parts of its Canadian range. Populations are stable or increasing in most parts of the United States, so there is also a potential outside source for rescue.


Applicability of Criteria

Criterion A (Declining Total Population):
Does not meet criterion - population has been stable over last 10 to 20 years.
Criterion B (Small Distribution, and Decline or Fluctuation):
Does not meet criterion - Extent of Occurrence is greater than 20 000 km2 and Area of Occupancy is greater than 2 000 km2
Criterion C (Small Total Population Size and Decline):
Does not meet criterion - population is greater than 10 000 individuals.
Criterion D (Very Small Population or Restricted Distribution):
Does not meet criterion - population is greater than 1000 individuals and Area of Occupancy is greater than 20 km2.
Criterion E (Quantitative analysis):
None

 

Page details

Date modified: